AN ACT TO REQUIRE
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE COURSES OF INSTRUCTION ON NORTH CAROLINA HISTORY
AND GEOGRAPHY TO STUDENTS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND TO STUDENTS IN MIDDLE
SCHOOL, AND TO ENACT THE STUDENT CITIZEN ACT OF 2001.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1. G.S. 115C-81 is amended by adding
a new subsection to read:

"(b1)Both the standard
course of study and the Basic Education Program shall include the requirement
that the public schools provide to all students two yearlong courses of
instruction on North Carolina history and geography. One yearlong course of
instruction shall be provided in elementary school, and one yearlong course of
instruction shall be provided in middle school. Each course of instruction
shall include contributions to the history and geography of the State by the
racial and ethnic groups that have contributed to the development and diversity
of the State. Each course of instruction may include up to four weeks of
instruction relating to the local area in which the students reside."

SECTION 2.(a) This section shall be known as
the "Student Citizenship Act of 2001".

SECTION 2.(b) G.S. 115C-81 reads as
rewritten:

"§ 115C-81.
Basic Education Program.

…

(g1)Modifications to the
social studies curriculum to instruct students on participation in the
democratic process and to give them hands-on experience in participating in the
democratic process:

(1)The State
Board of Education shall modify the high school social studies curriculum to
include instruction in civic and citizenship education. The State Board of
Education is strongly encouraged to include, at a minimum, the following
components in the high school civic and citizenship education curriculum:

a.That
students write to a local, State, or federal elected official about an issue
that is important to them;

b.Instruction
on the importance of voting and otherwise participating in the democratic
process;

c.Information
about current events and governmental structure; and

d.Information
about the democratic process and how laws are made.

(2)The State
Board of Education shall modify the middle school social studies curriculum to
include instruction in civic and citizenship education. The State Board of
Education is strongly encouraged to include, at a minimum, the following
components in the middle school civic and citizenship education curriculum:

a.A
tour of representative local government facilities such as the local jail, the
courthouse, or a town hall, to help students understand the way their community
is governed;

b.That
students choose and analyze a community problem and offer public policy
recommendations on the problem to local officials; and

c.Information
about getting involved in community groups.

(h) Character Education. -
Local boards of education may require the teaching of the following
character traits in the public schools:Each local board of education
shall develop and implement character education instruction with input from the
local community. The instruction shall be incorporated into the standard
curriculum and should address the following traits:

(1) Courage. - Having the
determination to do the right thing even when others don't and the strength to
follow your conscience rather than the crowd; and attempting difficult things
that are worthwhile.

(2) Good judgment. -
Choosing worthy goals and setting proper priorities; thinking through the
consequences of your actions; and basing decisions on practical wisdom and good
sense.

(3) Integrity. - Having
the inner strength to be truthful, trustworthy, and honest in all things;
acting justly and honorably.

(4) Kindness. - Being
considerate, courteous, helpful, and understanding of others; showing care,
compassion, friendship, and generosity; and treating others as you would like
to be treated.

(5) Perseverance. - Being
persistent in the pursuit of worthy objectives in spite of difficulty,
opposition, or discouragement; and exhibiting patience and having the fortitude
to try again when confronted with delays, mistakes, or failures.

(6) Respect. - Showing
high regard for authority, for other people, for self, for property, and for
country; and understanding that all people have value as human beings.

(7) Responsibility. -
Being dependable in carrying out obligations and duties; showing reliability
and consistency in words and conduct; being accountable for your own actions;
and being committed to active involvement in your community.

(8) Self-Discipline. -
Demonstrating hard work and commitment to purpose; regulating yourself for
improvement and restraining from inappropriate behaviors; being in proper
control of your words, actions, impulses, and desires; choosing abstinence from
premarital sex, drugs, alcohol, and other harmful substances and behaviors; and
doing your best in all situations.

(h1)In addition to the
instruction under subsection (h) of this section, local boards of education are
encouraged to include instruction on the following responsibilities:

(1)Respect for
school personnel. - In the school environment, respect includes holding
teachers, school administrators, and all school personnel in high esteem and
demonstrating in words and deeds that all school personnel deserve to be
treated with courtesy and proper deference.

(2)Responsibility
for school safety. - Helping to create a harmonious school atmosphere that is
free from threats, weapons, and violent or disruptive behavior; cultivate an
orderly learning environment in which students and school personnel feel safe
and secure; and encourage the resolution of conflicts and disagreements through
peaceful means including peer mediation.

(3)Service to
others. - Engaging in meaningful service to their schools and their
communities. Schools may teach service-learning by (i) incorporating it into
their standard curriculum, or (ii) involving a classroom of students or some
other group of students in one or more hands-on community-service projects.

(4)Good
citizenship. - Obeying the laws of the nation and this State; abiding by school
rules; and understanding the rights and responsibilities of a member of a
republic."

SECTION 2.(c) G.S. 115C-391(a) reads as
rewritten:

"(a) Local boards of
education shall adopt policies not inconsistent with the provisions of the
Constitutions of the United States and North Carolina, governing the conduct of
students and establishing procedures to be followed by school officials in
suspending or expelling any student, or in disciplining any student if the
offensive behavior could result in suspension, expulsion, or the administration
of corporal punishment. Local boards of education shall include a reasonable
dress code for students in these policies.

The policies that shall be adopted for the administration of
corporal punishment shall include at a minimum the following conditions:

(1) Corporal punishment
shall not be administered in a classroom with other children present;

(2) The student body shall
be informed beforehand what general types of misconduct could result in
corporal punishment;

(3) Only a teacher,
substitute teacher, principal, or assistant principal may administer corporal
punishment and may do so only in the presence of a principal, assistant
principal, teacher, substitute teacher, teacher assistant, or student teacher,
who shall be informed beforehand and in the student's presence of the reason
for the punishment; and

(4) An appropriate school
official shall provide the child's parent or guardian with notification that
corporal punishment has been administered, and upon request, the official who
administered the corporal punishment shall provide the child's parent or
guardian a written explanation of the reasons and the name of the second school
official who was present.

Each local board shall publish all the policies mandated by
this subsection and make them available to each student and his parent or
guardian at the beginning of each school year.

Notwithstanding any policy adopted pursuant to this section,
school personnel may use reasonable force, including corporal punishment, to
control behavior or to remove a person from the scene in those situations when
necessary:

(1) To quell a disturbance
threatening injury to others;

(2) To obtain possession
of weapons or other dangerous objects on the person, or within the control, of
a student;

(3) For self-defense;

(4) For the protection of
persons or property; or

(5) To maintain order on
school property, in the classroom, or at a school-related activity on or off
school property."

SECTION 2.(d) G.S. 115C-81(g) is amended by
adding a new subdivision to read:

"(3b) A local school administrative
unit may display on real property controlled by that local school
administrative unit documents and objects of historical significance that have
formed and influenced the United States legal or governmental system and that
exemplify the development of the rule of law, such as the Magna Carta, the
Mecklenburg Declaration, the Ten Commandments, the Justinian Code, and
documents set out in subdivision (3a) of this subsection. This display
may include, but shall not be limited to, documents that contain words
associated with a religion; provided however, no display shall seek to
establish or promote religion or to persuade any person to embrace a particular
religion, denomination of a religion, or other philosophy. The display of a
document containing words associated with a religion shall be in the same
manner and appearance generally as other documents and objects displayed and
shall not be presented or displayed in any fashion that results in calling
attention to it apart from the other displayed documents and objects. The
display also shall be accompanied by a prominent sign quoting the First
Amendment of the United States Constitution as follows: 'Congress shall make no
law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of
the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress
of grievances.' "

SECTION 3. If any provision of this act is declared
unconstitutional or invalid by the courts, it does not affect the validity of
this act as a whole or any part other than the part so declared to be
unconstitutional or invalid.

SECTION 4. This act is effective when it
becomes law and applies to all school years beginning with the 2001-2002 school
year, except that:

(1) The State Board of
Education shall complete the modifications to the social studies curriculum
required by G.S. 115C-81(g1), as enacted in Section 2(b) of this act, by
December 15, 2001. The modified curriculum shall begin to be implemented during
the 2002-2003 school year.

(2) Local boards of
education shall develop character education instruction in accordance with G.S.
115C-81(h), as rewritten by Section 2(b) of this act, by January 1, 2002, and
shall implement this instruction beginning with the 2002-2003 school year. If a
local board determines that it would be an economic hardship to begin to
implement character education instruction by the beginning of the 2002-2003
school year, the board may request an extension of time from the State Board of
Education. The local board shall submit the request for an extension to the
State Board on or before April 1, 2002. Local boards are encouraged to include
in their character education instruction the responsibilities listed in G.S.
115C-81(h1) of Section 2(b) of this act.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this
the 30th day of July, 2001.